Author: strokeofbadluck

I had a stroke on July 26th, 2013. I was a screenwriter. Don’t do that anymore. But have found another way to write.

Danny Dyer

So, he thinks it’s great that he’s descended from EDWARD III… But isn’t EVERYBODY?

1 generation back: 2 parents 

2 generations: 4 grandparents

3: 8

4: 16

5: 32

6: 64

7: 128

8: 256

9: 512

10: 1024

11: 2048

12: 4096

13: 8192

14: 16,384

15: 32,768

16: 65,536

17: 131,072

18: 262,144

19: 524,288

20: 1,048,576

21: 2,097,152

22: 4,194,304

23: 8,388,608

24: 16,777,261

25: 33,554,432

26: 67,108,864

27: 134,217,728

28: 268,435,456

So: Danny Dyer, 28 generations back, has 268,435,456 DIRECT ANCESTORS…

Among them, Edward III…

Clive Owen

So, I said to him: xxxxxxxxxxxx, and I get, for the purposes of conversation: Nul point!

But I had another story up my sleeve: Clive. Owen!

So we got stoned, he was sitting down, we could have been silent , but I started…

So, C Owen.
1) he’s in the best film in 18 years (if not ever…)
2) he lives in Wrabness, half a mile from where I had the stroke…
3) on Thursday last, I think of him because – for the first time in three years – I’ve gone to the cinema of which he is patron to hear a New Orleans-style brass band…

4) THE SAME NIGHT, he gets in his car, in Wrabness, and drives to the Soho House – and bumps straight into L…

And she says: I know this screenwriter, went to Wrabness, the same age as you, had a major stroke, is just coming back 4 1/2 years on…
To which he says: f***ing unbelievable!

And T goes: Cool!

See you on Saturday

The postman looked new.

He clearly didn’t know what he was doing.

I asked him if he had the redirected mail for no 4.

He did, after a while.

He volunteered that he was going to Yeovil straight afterwards, to go to his father’s funeral. 56. Of cancer. In a hospice.

I touched him on the arm.

All felt strangely natural…

He said: See you on Saturday. And went.

This sort of stuff would NEVER HAPPEN IN LONDON!

Back in Blighty…

I remember an episode of Colditz (I was about ten) when someone pretended to be mad, got sent home and – back in Blighty – turned out to be mad! 

A cautionary tale.

In the same spirit, I asked, what if M’s parties had been conceived out of a desire to convince PTB (next door) that the population of Mistley was insane, and so get him to move…

10 years later, PTB was gone…

But the parties continued…

Because THEY WERE MAD! 

They no longer knew that it wasn’t necessary…

But M was too far gone…

(And, actually, PTB still owned the house, but no longer lived there…)

The new ‘normal’

On train at 1900. They were still going (one of those amazing squares on Ladbroke Grove with communal gardens out the back). Sitting in the sunshine… But had to go – I’d been there 6 hours… My limit…

Yes. I almost thought I’d done it. A day with no steps back…

And then they caught me at Manningtree! As I walked (slowly) to platform one to get the Mistley train…

I was 30 seconds away when the train – having watched me draw close – left without me!!!

(Somebody else:) Well. That was life shafting you this time, not your brain. So, let’s say the same as everyone else – fucking trains.

(Me again:) WTF! Luckily I was so f***ed off that I made them get me a taxi. Apparently it ‘wasn’t their fault’ because ‘the company made them do it’! But that’s no excuse. It makes me mad that ppl interpret things literally instead of doing what any human would do…

Apart from that: day was fab!

For a funeral, that is.

19 steps forward, 1 back.

Never thought that would be ‘a good day’.

 

 

Saturday

Christ, I’ve just spent half and hour on the phone to tsb about my payment, which STILL HASN’T GONE THRU.

I gave 30 mins grief to sweet Scottish boy called Craig.

Finally it (seemed to) work. (Been here before.)

And then I thanked Craig and said he was very professional under pressure.

He almost laughed he was so surprised.

And I then hung up.

And burst into tears….

Won’t have hurt feelings…

29/10/2013, 13:58
I invited you to be ‘friends’ but won’t have hurt feelings if you ignore. I’m the annoying pesky girl who worked behind you at the NFT. When you w Cat Woman. Anyway, for a short time you made me laugh alot. That’s all.

17/3/2018, 04:27
Hi L, of course I remember you, and there is an excuse for my non-appearance. I had a major stroke in July 2013. When I found your request, I confess I didn’t know what to do. I’d have loved to get back in touch. But somehow I couldn’t. Now, however, I’m ‘back’, whatever that means. I live in Essex (Mistley) and am currently staying with (another BFI) friend in Brixton. All that stuff from the early 90s is amazingly vivid in my mind. Don’t know if it’s the stroke or just inevitable ageing. I finished with Cat Woman soon after I stopped temping at the NFT. Then took up with someone else who ended up being my wife and bearing three sons. They are great (especially J, who saved me when I had the stroke). The sons, I mean. The wife has had enough and I don’t blame her. So now, 2018, I’m (as Fred Astaire would have said) ‘fancy free and free for anything fancy’. Bearing in mind the stroke, of course. 😉 (I hate emojis but sometimes…)

Still an idiot, the stroke didn’t change that (smiley face). Superhero sons! I have a girl and a boy. I think mine would run away in a panic – rubbish. Sorry to hear that (although JP did tell me something had happened). And can you imagine what sort of arsehole I was if I just ignored this?